Version Purchased: Gans Air Standard & Gans Air UM Cubicle Edition
Where: Cubicle for both
When: 12/22/16 & 3/12/17
I now have both the standard Gans Air as well as the UM version so I wanted to review both at once and point out some of the differences.
I first ordered the Gans Air back in December. I just wanted to try the cube but didn't really care to fiddle around with it much so I bought the standard version which is the cheapest. It comes with the clear GES nuts installed and no additional nuts are included. I didn't realize this at the time of order but he sticker shades are the awful Gans standard shades, so I was a little disappointed to see that when it arrived. Getting any of the upgraded versions (Advanced, Master) provides the much better half-bright sticker shades.
Out of the box it was a little slow but very stable and remarkably smooth. The clear GES nuts give the puzzle very springy and stable feel despite its light weight. So far so good. After a few solves the puzzle opened up a little bit, gaining some speed and loosening a bit. Even though the cube was very nice I still preferred my Valk and knew pretty much right away it wouldn't be my main. So I brought the cube to work to keep in my desk because of how quiet it is, and to this day I still have not touched the setup one bit; it still has the factory lube and tensions and I don't intend on changing it any time soon because I like it a lot as is.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. The Cubicle updated their backorder status for the Gans Air UM in anticipation of a second shipment. I went ahead and ordered one and it arrived this past Friday.
Out of the box this puzzle was much different than the standard version. First, it comes with pretty nice full bright stickers. My only complaint there is the red is very light and doesn't contrast with the orange exceptionally well. I am considering restickering with a slightly darker red. Next, the UM comes with the purple GES nuts installed which have the lightest spring tension of all the colors. This gives the puzzle a much looser feel more similar to a Hualong or MeiYing. Consequently, the cube has very light, fast, and effortless turning. The magnets do well to give it some stability but it was still way too loose and unstable feeling for my turning style.
I know a lot of people (Feliks included) prefer a little heavier spring so I swapped to the yellow springs and went with tighter tensions. This combination works much better for my turning style but I still get catching occasionally so I am considering going a little tighter on tensions or trying out the clear springs. I have not yet changed the lube in the puzzle as the factory lube is fast enough for my liking, while gummy enough that the turns require just a bit of muscle.
The UM receives the "Ultimate" treatment at the factory which includes removing the screws from the corner stalks to reduce weight even further. A couple thoughts on this. The glue that the factory uses to seal the cubies is very pungent, so the cube has a strong glue odor at first. Second, removal of the corner screws does something to the geometry that allows the corners to wiggle in place like an Aolong. This little bit of jiggle makes the cube more clacky so the UM is noisier than the standard version.
As it stands the UM is already easily my main. The larger, more "standard" cube size is something I've been looking forward to after spending a lot of time with the Valk 3. A-perms are a lot more forgiving on this size puzzle. I don't really lock up on the UM but it does catch a little more frequently than my Valk. I am going to tweak the tensions a little bit to see if this improves. The only other problem I have with it is the occasional undershoot. Due to the extreme light weight of the cube sometimes if I am misaligned then U2 flicks will get stuck and the layer doesn't have the weight to push through it so it will undershoot. Definitely not a dealbreaker and something I am adjusting to.
Either way, the Gans Air is a fantastic puzzle, especially in the UM variety which adds the stability of magnets to the already incredible performance, and provides for a huge range of setup options.
